Defects devaluing house.

[Bri]

When the time comes to sell my home I believe it will be devalued due to the structural faults that have occurred.
The whole roof replaced twice, render cracked everywhere that now can't be repaired until April 2020 due to the weather. This will be 2 years past the deadline date set by LABC.
Who will want to buy my house when they learn of these faults?

My house is half painted the wrong colour, very bad render crack repairs that stand right out. I can't remortgage adding my partner because Bloor's solicitor wants a fee of £240 to issue a standard certificate to say I can add my partner to the deeds.

Bloor won't wave this restriction, even though they have done so on another development.
My remortgage offer has expired. If I try to apply on my own any valuer coming out will look at my house and think wtf is going on here.
After nearly 3 years of inconvenience and loss of quality of life living in this house, they won't even wave this restriction as a gesture of goodwill.

They should be paying me compensation for ruining the quality of our life.

[New Home Expert]

Indeed they should buy they won't.

Please write to your MP now the election and Brexit is out of the way and insist the statutory New Homes Ombudsman I have campaigned for over the last 5 years is created as a government priority, to help new homebuyers like you.

[Bri]

We have a new MP, the last one I complained too has retired, very convenient. I will complain and demand a new home ombudsman.

[Bri]

Scaffold been up since 6 July. No work for last 5 -6 weeks.
Blockwork all cracked behind render, DPC fitted halfway up house, expansions joints incorrect and breached by DPC and sandstone edging.
Recommended to have DPC removed, expansion joints corrected, helibars fitted to strengthen blocks, rendered over where it's been cut out and house painted.
Sick as a chip.
What's to say there's not more DPC behind the render.

[New Home Expert]

At least the recommendations are a step in the right direction.
The longer the scaffold is up, the larger the compensation cheque?

[Bri]

This is the 4th time scaffold has been up. In total it's nearly 15 months.
All the render is being removed from the house.
Helibars need fitting
A DPC that has been fitted 3/4 up the house needs removing.
Expansion joints are not correct and need fixing.
Expansion joint is 20mm plus wide.
The vertical mortar joints are 40mm in lots of places.
The mortar is crumbling. I can rub it away with my finger.
It is a yellow colour like sand.

[New Home Expert]

You may also have weak mix mortar!
Perhaps you should read my blog articles on weak mix mortar.

[Bri]

Yes I`ve read the blog. I always refer to your blogs as they are full of good information.
With my mortar it can be a mix of 6-1 or 8-1 which is weak but to simply rub away does not give me confidence.

[New Home Expert]

Normally referred to as 1:6 cement sand.   Your 1:8 is weak as specified in my opinion.
Pleased you find my blogs useful too.

[Bri]

I visited a Barratt site being built nearby. I checked the mortar on their blockwork. It rubs away with a lot more force plus all the mortar joints are 10mm between blocks whereas mine are all over the place. Lots of 40mm joints. Some blocks that are damaged  so were filled with extra mortar.

There is a DPC halfway up my house that has to be removed. I've noticed there is another on the next level down that lays on top of the sandstone ledge that runs all round the house.

Fault after fault turning up.

[New Home Expert]

On a new home the mortar shouldn't rub away with hand force. In fact you should need a hammer and chisel/bolster to chop it out!

DPC above the normal 150mm above ground level are probably cavity trays that are above anything that crosses the cavity such as a lintel etc.  ON a timber frame new home a cavity tray is also above the fire sock cavity closers, (if indeed they have been fitted!!)

The one of the sandstone ledge may actually just have been built in for protecting the ledge during construction and was then trimmed back before render!

[Bri]

The DPC is attached to the inner wall, it then goes over the xtratherm board, drops down the length of a full block and then goes under the outer block. It is like this all around the house so if it were a cavity tray, it would be one long continuous tray.

Here is what it looks like. There is a 3 inch gap between the xtratherm cavity boards when they are supposed to fit tightly together.

[Bri]

My house is not timber frame. Here is an example of mortar joints.

[New Home Expert]

The DPC is a cavity tray.
These can be just over openings and lintels and airbricks etc. They should have the ends turned up and weep vents to let any water out.
A cavity tray can also be continuous around the perimeter of the house. It will need to be lapped as rolls lengths are 10-20metres maximum and at the corners

[Bri]

if it`s intended as a cavity tray why would they need a continuous one all around the perimeter of the house at second floor level? This breached the expansion joints and causes a slip plain.